Suspended seating arrangement



March 17, 1 953 J POMAGALSK] 2,631,647

' SUSPENDED SEATING ARRANGEMENT Original Filed July 10, 1947 INVENTOR.

I IIIIIIIIIIIT. 'llI/IIl/Ill/ I- "I M Wk Patented Mar. 17, 1953 SUSPENDED SEATING ARRANGEMENT Jean Pomagalski, Grenoble, France, assignor to Donald F. Miller, Jr., South Orange, N. J.

Original application July 10, 1947, Serial No. 759,980. Divided and this application August 10, 1950, Serial No. 178,609. In

France May 8,

"f Section 1, Fulzlic Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires May 8, 1965 This application is adivlsion of my co-pendin application Serial No. 759,980, filed July 10, 1947. and relates to the suspended. seating arrangement for a person such as'a' pedestrian or askier being hauled by a conveyor to be pulled up a slope. as for instance in a ski lift.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple seating arrangement.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a seating arrangement that is comfortable a d has a certain elasticity so that it will be adaptable to different users.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a simple and efiicient suspension for this seat, which suspension does not inconvenience the person using the seat.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, the seat for the person using the ski lift, or other hauling arrangement, is suspended from a conventional carrier cable or from the carrier cable described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 759,980. A rope or rod, either straight or suitabl shaped, may be used for suspending the seat. The seat proper is formed by an elastic central portion, such as a membrane. supported by a rigid frame. The seat proper is attached to the holding rod or rope approximately at the geometrical center of the seat.

A foot rest, also attached to the holding rod or rope, can also be provided for the comfort of the user. This foot rest is supported by an elastic member so that its position can be adjusted'when in use.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view ofa skier or pedestrian using the seating arrangement according to my invention; I

Fig.2 is a perspective view of a seating arrangement according to my invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a seatin arrangement according to my invention: and

Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating the deformation of the seating arrangement when in use. 7

Referring to Fig. l, the seating arrangement is suspended from a carrier cable II! by means of a rigid rod H. The upper end of this rod rides 3 Claims. (01. 1 55-5) on the shaft 12 of a pulley which transmits the desired movement orto another suitable device for this purpose. 7

The lower end of the red I l carries the seating arrangement proper. A rigid frame It, Figs. 2 and 3, supports an elastic-or yieldable central portion [3, suspended, approximately at its center, from the rod II. A foot rest I4, Fig. l, is secured to the rod l I by means of a yieldable member l5.

As illustrated in the Figs. 3 and 4, the rod I may be secured to the elastic portion I 3 of e seat by means of a screw passing through an opening in the rod and through the elastic member and engaging a nut 2 I.

The yieldabl supporting member [5, shown in Fig. 1, for the foot rest 14 may also be secured to the rod l l by a similar or the same screw or by any other suitable means.

The central portion it of the seating arrangement may be formed by an elastic membrane, for instance of rubber or other suitable material, or may be made of straps or springs arranged to give the desired shape.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the supporting frame It consists of a rigid annular member 22 over which the yieldable seat portion [3 is stretched and held in place by any suitable means, such as by stitching, nailing or gluing, depending on the material of the seat portion [3 and, if secured thereto, of the annular member, 22.

The person I9, Fig. 1, usin the seating arrangement sits on the yieldable seat portion [3, straddling the rod I l and holding onto it with one or both hands to increase the feeling of security. The feet rest on the foot-rest l5 which, due to its adaptable suspension, will assume the position best suited to the persons need.

The traction indicated by th arrow 11 will exert a driving force on the seating arrangement carrying the person i9 to be transported. A high degree of stability is obtained by the positioning of the traction and pivotal point in front of the portion of the seat proper, l3, occupied by the person l9.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that my invention provides comfortable, stable, and simple seating arrangements for moving persons as in a ski lift.

While I have illustrated and described one embodiment of the invention, I do not intend to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desireuto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a ski lift having an aerial traction cable, a seating arrangement comprising in combination a yielding rubber-like member, suspension means for attachment to the traction cable, a

rigid connection between said suspension meanst and the central portion of the rubber-like meme her, and a rigid frame secured to the peripheral portion of said member forstiffening the same and movable relative to the suspension :means.

2. In an aerial cableway system for transporting persons, a seating arrangement comprising a rigid frame forming a loop, an -elastic-membermately at the geometrical center of said seat,

the sectionof the rod adjacent the" seat being curved forwardly in the direction of seat travelz 3. In a ski lift having an aerial traction cable,

a seating arrangement comprising in combination a circular rigid frame, elastic material having...said frame. embedded. inits peripheral portion and forming :a seat,1and suspension means for supporting the seat from the cableway and rigidly secured to the elastic material approximately at the geometrical center of said seat.

JEAN POMAGALSKI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 51,132, Brahmill Nov. 28, 1865 487,246, Bunker Dec. 6, 1892 1,768,905 Hartman July 1, 1920 2,225,737 De Vaney Dec. 24, 1940 2,244,650 Curran et a1 June 3, 1941 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country 1 Date 

